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-   -   Standard Grades/GCSE's (https://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-57/standard-grades-gcses-530027/)

Liamilano Apr 17th 2008 2:12 pm

Standard Grades/GCSE's
 
im trying to get my qualifications transfered to their american equivalent does anyone know how standard grades are normally looked at

Ray Apr 17th 2008 3:56 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by Liamilano (Post 6223243)
im trying to get my qualifications transfered to their american equivalent does anyone know how standard grades are normally looked at

GED perhaps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GED

No direct comparison ....

chicagojlo Apr 17th 2008 4:16 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 
I usually tell people they are my high school graduation grades. They're of very little importance anyway so that is all anyone ever needed to know.

Leyther Apr 17th 2008 5:20 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by Liamilano (Post 6223243)
im trying to get my qualifications transfered to their american equivalent does anyone know how standard grades are normally looked at

When I applied to the university here in Denver, one of the requirements was that I must have a High-School Diploma or equivalent, my GCSEs were the equivalent and they are not much use here beyond that.

weazie Apr 17th 2008 9:21 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by Leyther (Post 6224060)
When I applied to the university here in Denver, one of the requirements was that I must have a High-School Diploma or equivalent, my GCSEs were the equivalent and they are not much use here beyond that.

So A-levels can be counted as college level then?

Leyther Apr 17th 2008 10:38 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by weazie (Post 6225171)
So A-levels can be counted as college level then?

A-levels again, are not of any great importance when it comes to gaining admission to a university in the U.S. Also they are not a requirement for the majority of colleges and universities here. It is considered to be slightly less than an Associates Degree. Having A-levels may allow you to either CLEP (test out of) a few of the required classes for an Associates Degree, or they may count your A-levels as partial credit. It really depends on the college/university and which A-levels you took.

weazie Apr 17th 2008 10:49 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by Leyther (Post 6225566)
A-levels again, are not of any great importance when it comes to gaining admission to a university in the U.S. Also they are not a requirement for the majority of colleges and universities here. It is considered to be slightly less than an Associates Degree. Having A-levels may allow you to either CLEP (test out of) a few of the required classes for an Associates Degree, or they may count your A-levels as partial credit. It really depends on the college/university and which A-levels you took.

Thats interesting- thank you. I got my bachelors in the UK . (I'm living and working in the US, I'm a PR). I've been thinking about getting a masters here. I'm a bit worried about having to go through all the 'basic' courses because i never covered them in University: American Goverment, American Literature, Freshman Comp :( I worked at a community college bookstore for several months so I got used to all the 'basics'.

The fact that my hard-earned A-levels might mean something cheers me up!

kel.n.issy Apr 17th 2008 10:59 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 
The College I will be attending wouldnt even accept GCSE as a High School Diploma as they are taken at 16 so I had to take an accuplacer - which I have to admit was far more intense that GCSE's were

elliep Apr 17th 2008 11:02 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by weazie (Post 6225622)
Thats interesting- thank you. I got my bachelors in the UK . (I'm living and working in the US, I'm a PR). I've been thinking about getting a masters here. I'm a bit worried about having to go through all the 'basic' courses because i never covered them in University: American Goverment, American Literature, Freshman Comp :( I worked at a community college bookstore for several months so I got used to all the 'basics'.

The fact that my hard-earned A-levels might mean something cheers me up!

I'm in my first semester at a CC in FL, and my A levels didn't help me much- they were the equivalent of 26 hours credit (Associates degree is 60 hours).
My Biology could be substituted for a similar course, but the 'basic' courses such as Freshman comp, US Government, Speech etc couldn't be counted for as my A levels were not specific to those courses.

Very frustrating learning when to use capital letters and commas all over again (no joke) but it has to be done!!

Leyther Apr 17th 2008 11:03 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by weazie (Post 6225622)
Thats interesting- thank you. I got my bachelors in the UK . (I'm living and working in the US, I'm a PR). I've been thinking about getting a masters here. I'm a bit worried about having to go through all the 'basic' courses because i never covered them in University: American Goverment, American Literature, Freshman Comp :( I worked at a community college bookstore for several months so I got used to all the 'basics'.

The fact that my hard-earned A-levels might mean something cheers me up!

If you got your Bachelors in the U.K. then is there a reason why you are concerned about your A-levels? Since the requirements for the majority of Graduate schools are that you have a Bachelors Degree or equivilent - your degree from the U.K. should be an equivilent, although it wouldn't hurt to get it checked out, I know there are services out there which would 'translate' your U.K. degree into what it is worth here.

You could also contact the university or visit their website and look at the admission page - you may find more useful information in the international student section of the website for qualification requirements than you would for general admission.

Leyther Apr 17th 2008 11:05 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by kel.n.issy (Post 6225647)
The College I will be attending wouldnt even accept GCSE as a High School Diploma as they are taken at 16 so I had to take an accuplacer - which I have to admit was far more intense that GCSE's were

I just spotted that you are moving to Colorado, which college are you attending?

rochdalediva Apr 17th 2008 11:43 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by Liamilano (Post 6223243)
im trying to get my qualifications transfered to their american equivalent does anyone know how standard grades are normally looked at

There are various companies that do a "US Equivalency" report. Basically translate your qualifications into numbers the Americans can understand. The one I used was www.wes.org, it's been a while so I can't remember how much it cost.
But they turned my GCSEs into a High School diploma, two Math A levels into one semester of undergraduate study, and a HND into a Batchelor's degree. go figure!.

NC Penguin Apr 17th 2008 11:50 pm

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by Liamilano (Post 6223243)
im trying to get my qualifications transfered to their american equivalent does anyone know how standard grades are normally looked at

Are jobs you are applying for require this kind of documentation? If not, IMHO it's probably not worthwhile paying for this because the results can vary since the companies who provide such services are not regulated.

rochdalediva Apr 18th 2008 1:07 am

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by NC Penguin (Post 6225761)
Are jobs you are applying for require this kind of documentation? If not, IMHO it's probably not worthwhile paying for this because the results can vary since the companies who provide such services are not regulated.

At the time I was applying for jobs in Illinois schools and they required the equivalency report and provided a list of approved companies on their web site http://www.isbe.net/certification/ht...credential.htm
of which WES is one.
But you're right depending upon the job it may not be worth the cash. However since then I've also found it a lot easier having something Americans could relate too rather than trying to explain the UK educational system.

NC Penguin Apr 18th 2008 2:35 am

Re: Standard Grades/GCSE's
 

Originally Posted by rochdalediva (Post 6225938)
At the time I was applying for jobs in Illinois schools and they required the equivalency report and provided a list of approved companies on their web site http://www.isbe.net/certification/ht...credential.htm
of which WES is one.
But you're right depending upon the job it may not be worth the cash. However since then I've also found it a lot easier having something Americans could relate too rather than trying to explain the UK educational system.

It also depends on how well you can write your resume/CV in American terms.


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